The International Baccalaureate Program (IBMYP)

Prepa Tec Los Angeles Middle School (PTLAMS) is a candidate school for the Middle Years Programme. PTLAMS is pursuing authorization as an IB World School. Candidate Schools are schools that share a common philosophy — a commitment to high quality, challenging, international education that Prepa Tec Los Angeles believes is important for our students.

OVERVIEW

From the first day of class, PTLAMS has focused on the implementation of the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme (IBMYP). During the first and second year of school operations (Candidacy Phase / Phase 1) the school will also focus on implementation of the Common Core Standards and Instruction. This will allow for a facilitated entry into the new educational program, the IB program which will require three steps for PTLAMS to become an authorized IB authorized school; a) feasibility and identification of resources, b) trial implementation (1 year), and c) school evaluation.

In Phase 2 starting in year two, PTLAMS will continue with the process of applying and training for full authorization up to year three or four. PTLAMS has chosen this internationally recognized educational model, which gives children a strong foundation in all major areas of knowledge: mathematics, social studies, drama, language, music, visual arts, science, personal and social education as well as physical education, because of its focus on the whole child which the Board believes is absent in local schools.

Our philosophy is that in order for children to be successful in the twenty-first century global society, each community needs school that utilize curriculum that focuses on the development of the whole child; it is not enough to teach children to give them the tools but to teach them to be inquisitive about what the tools are used for and in relation to what and in what context. These are the tenets of the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme, which have been developed by incorporating the best educational practices from around the world. The curricular premise consist of incorporating thematic, inquiry-based units of instruction which focus on structured inquiry methods that promote higher-level questioning and global thinking, encouraging a child’s natural curiosity.

To become an authorized International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme (IBMYP) school is a difficult and long process. This process will take several years of development and training. However, from the initial stages of school operations, PTLAMS has initiated and will continue to implement inquiry-based units in all grades. We anticipate reaching our goal of full authorization by approximately 2015-16. We have also aligned the standards of the IB program with the appropriate National Common Core Standards.

Instructional Model

PTLAMS has adopted the internationally recognized International Baccalaureate Middle Years Program (IBMYP) model, which is aligned with our mission and vision, and focuses on meeting the needs of our target students and their community. In Southern California, there are several IBMYP certified schools, two of which are in close proximity; Perry Lindsey International Studies in Long Beach, CA, USA and El Sereno Middle School, an International Baccalaureate World School in El Sereno, CA, USA. The IBMYP program focuses on the development of the whole child. The IBMYP is an interdisciplinary curriculum that draws the individual disciplines together into a coherent whole, while preserving the essence of each subject, striving to develop a global perspective. The IBMYP curriculum is organized around MYP Unit Planners. Through theses Unit Planners, students develop a deep understanding of important concepts; they conduct research into knowledge that has local and global significance; they acquire and practice a range of essential skills; they are encouraged to develop positive attitudes toward learning, the environment and other people; and they have the opportunity for involvement in responsible action and social service.

Evidence of Success with Similar Communities

There are no IB accredited middle schools in LAUSD, however, we anticipate that based on the educational profile of the surrounding schools from where we would draw our students, we will have a large percentage of Hispanic students (98%) with a large percentage of ELL (59%) and Title I students (94%). Our closest similar IB school, Perry Lindsey International Studies in Long Beach, CA has approximately similar school demographics with a Hispanic population of 59%, English language Learners at 79% and Title I at 87%. Thus, we will look to collaborate with Perry Lindsey International Studies http://lblindsey.schoolloop.com/for guidance as we transition to the IB program. From the data provided, Perry Lindsey International Studies has been successful with their Hispanic, ELL and Title I subgroups, including great strides in English Language Arts, Mathematics and overall API for the same subgroups. In contrast to averages for the local schools in the Prepa Tec community, Perry Lindsey International Studies has an API of 789 for the Hispanic subgroup while the average API for similar subgroups in the South Gate community is a 702.